The earliest known letter dispatched from North America was sent from St. John's, Newfoundland, to King Henry VIII by the explorer John Rut on 3 August 1527. This color photo shows a sealed airmail envelope containing a letter written by the artist, addressed to Buckingham Palace, which is to be mailed on the 500th anniversary of Rut's letter. The contents of the letter will remain undisclosed until that time, perhaps provoking thoughts on what North Americans might have to say about themselves 500 years after colonization.